Problems and prospects of pearl culture in India

Abstract

When Kokichi Mikimoto took the small step forward
in 1893 by producing a few blister pearls in the Japanese
pearl oyster Pinctada martensii (= P. fucata) at the
coastal village of Jinmiyonmura on Ago Bay, a new
industry of pearl culture was bom. As he was building
up a small-scale industry, a few marine scientists and
technicians got themselves interested in it and, in 1907,
Tokichi Nishikawa produced the first spherical cultured
pearl in the oyster. Subsequently, the credibility of
cultured pearl as jewel was established in the 1920s
and was followed by a boom of pearl culture industry
with a master touch of Mikimoto and several other
industrialists who joined the bandwagon. After World
War 11, pearl culture industry was established in
Australia, Philippines, Burma, Thailand, Malaysia
and Indonesia, all with Japanese collaboration.